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Large-scale patterns of forest fire occurrence in the Conterminous United States and Alaska, 2001-08

Informally Refereed

Abstract

Wildland fire represents an important ecological mechanism in many forest ecosystems. It shapes the distributions of species, maintains the structure and function of fire-prone communities, and is a significant evolutionary force (Bond and Keeley 2005). At the same time, fire outside the historic range of frequency and intensity can have extensive economic and ecological impacts. More than half the forested area in the conterminous United States is either moderately or significantly altered from historical fire regimes, potentially altering key ecosystem components such as species composition, structural stage, stand age, canopy closure, and fuel loadings (Schmidt and others 2002). Fire suppression and the introduction of nonnative plants, in particular, have dramatically altered natural fire regimes (Barbour and others 1999), while fire regimes altered by global climate change could cause large-scale shifts in vegetation spatial patterns (McKenzie and others 1996).

Parent Publication

Citation

Potter, Kevin M. 2012. Large-scale patterns of forest fire occurrence in the Conterminous United States and Alaska, 2001-08. In: Potter, Kevin M.; Conkling, Barbara L., eds. 2012. Forest health monitoring: 2009 national technical report. Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-167. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 151-162.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/43386